Black Bear Combo is a sextet made up of Doug Abram (saxophones), Gerald Bailey (trumpet), Ehsan Ghoreishi (accordion), Rob Pleshar (tuba), Andrew Zelm (euphonium) and Dersu Burrows (bass drum). Its sound is an eclectic blend of traditional folk music (from eastern Europe and the Balkans) and brass-band style funk and soul. The group first played together as BBC in 2002, and has performed at events all across the nation including Mardi Gras and a Halloween Party at the White House, offering a mix of pontificating horns, thundering drums and buzzing accordions. Centerstage corresponded with frontman Doug Abram to see what brought BBC together and how Chicago's notoriously tough crowds contributed to its stage presence.
How and when did you guys come together? At the end of 1999 I was wandering in central Europe for awhile and heard Rom (gypsy), bohemian and other kinds of bands playing in bars, hotels, on the street etc. The sounds and energy of it blew me away. At the time I had been a drummer in noise and punk bands, but this inspired me to play a horn and start something different. When I got back to the states I started learning and looking for players. The Combo played our first show in April of '02. Over the years we've had about 15 musicians come and go. The lineup has usually ranged from three to five people, and has gone from being mostly strings to the current brass-band lineup, which has been stable for roughly the last three years.
Can you give me a rundown of your influences and how they mesh into your distinct sound? Still love Rom music, Balkan brass bands, and central European stuff. Even aside from the sounds they put out (which are often amazing) there is the energy and passion for life they deliver, as well as the lack of boundaries: bands that will come in through a doorway and stand in the middle of a crowd, playing away. We are influenced by that for sure. We also bear the influence of the punk rock and metal we grew up with, and some of the noisier practitioners of free jazz. It makes sense to me, I personally feel all of these types of music come from the same place, draw from the same energy. Then of course each player has other influences at work which may only show up occasionally but make the whole thing richer.
Tell me a little bit about Game of Death. Game of Death is something like our 11th CD, and the first one recorded in a proper studio. We made it at JoyRide on Chicago Ave. this past September. Our earlier CDs were all pretty casual, sometimes a tune made it onto two or three different albums played a different way, or with a different solo instrument. Also those CDs were usually very small editions, a hundred at most. So this time we wanted, in addition to getting the best possible sound quality, to put down somewhat definitive takes of the originals that have remained in the set. A declaration of where we are now. The title incidentally comes from an old tune that we don't play anymore. The album is available on Amazon, iTunes, CDbaby or from us at shows.
It looks like you've had some pretty memorable performances. Where has your music taken you and is there one show in particular that stands out? We have had a huge amount of memorable shows. We've played rock clubs, cafes, basements, street corners, weddings, funerals, parades, festivals, parties - both very swanky and very not so. We've played on both coasts and many places in between. During Mardi Gras '05 we ended up playing at the Hi-Ho Lounge in New Orleans. This was after we had spent about seven hours in different parades. At the time there were three of us: sax, bass drum, and electric bass with portable amp, and we had been hammering away all day. We were reclining on the sidewalk outside of this club when somebody asks if we're such and such a band. We said no but we could be ready to play in two minutes. So we went in and the set was amazing. People were dancing on tables, screaming, the whole bit. Such a great time.
We played at the White House this year for their Halloween party; on the lawn out front for the kids earlier and then inside for the party later. We walked through the rooms playing our music. It's not uncommon when you're a band walking into a room while playing for everybody to turn and get excited about what's going on. It's a great feeling. We walked into a room at the White House and among the crowd: the President, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp all looked happily around and watched us. Memorable for sure.
In what ways has Chicago contributed to the development of your sound? Chicago has had its influence on the band definitely. We play to the fullest. Chicago audiences can take work to reach, but when you do they're great. In general plugging away, without need of a pedigree, making a good time out of thin air is what we got from forming (and for the most part growing up) here.
Any favorite spots in the city? We like lots of spots in Chicago. One notable one is a basement venue we've played in that's all rigged out like a cave. Rounded ceilings etc. And the sound was great when we played Double Door last week, can't say we have an actual favorite though, all good.
Forthcoming projects? Keeping on. Shows in New York and Seattle over the next few months then who knows.
Moe's Cantina $4 bottles of Sol and Dos Equis, $4 margaritas, $1 steak or chicken tacos, $3 mesquite-grilled steak or chicken skewers (not valid on Cubs home game days)
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